ITA Airways kitesurf equipment: fees, weight limits and how to pack

ITA Airways will carry your kitesurf equipment and names it directly: a kitesurf set (sail, board) counts as small sports equipment. On European routes it costs €75 online and through other sales channels, or €85 at the airport. Over 23kg you also pay excess baggage, and the total dimensions can't exceed 300cm.

This is based on ITA Airways' website on 25 October 2026. ITA quotes these fees in euros, US dollars and Canadian dollars, not pounds. The general side of flying with kite gear (packing, claims, the Montreal Convention) is in flying with kite gear: airline fees and packing.

ITA Airways kite gear in numbers

What a return trip costs

ITA has a fixed fee table by region, so you know the price in advance. The one thing it doesn't say is whether the fee applies to each flight. Since you pay at check-in, I'd budget for each flight and get it confirmed.

The same question comes up with a connection in Rome: two flights or one journey? ITA's customer centre can answer that before you pay for the ticket.

What's different about ITA Airways

Kitesurfing is on the list

ITA's list says "Kitesurf set (sail, board)" in so many words. It sits in the cheaper small category, alongside skis and golf. Surfboards, windsurfers and longboards are large sports equipment, €95 online and €105 at the airport in Europe. If the desk hesitates, show them that line from their own website.

Over 23kg in Economy

The sports page says items over 23kg pay an excess baggage fee. But ITA only publishes a 23-32kg price table for Business, and says that service is only available for Business Class. What a heavier kite bag costs in Economy isn't on the website as of 25 October 2026. I'd keep it under 23kg, or get it confirmed by the customer centre first.

Extra baggage doesn't cover sports gear

ITA sells extra bags cheaper online, but its terms say that booking doesn't apply to sports equipment. So the kite bag goes on as sports equipment, not as an extra suitcase. Economy Light includes no checked bag at all, Economy includes 1 x 23kg.

Partner flights and flying from London

ITA's network includes London Heathrow and London City. Its fee table has a Europe band but doesn't list which countries it covers, and we couldn't find that on ITA's website on 25 October 2026, so confirm the fee for a London flight with ITA's customer centre. Some flights sold on ita-airways.com are operated by partner airlines. With several airlines, the rules of the one flying the most significant segment (usually the longest) under its own flight number apply.

Extra cover for €50

ITA can raise the cover on a checked bag to €500 for €50 per item. It's accepted as a fixed sum without proving the value of the contents. ITA won't accept the declaration if another airline carries the bag for part of the trip. What to look for in a policy is in kitesurfing travel insurance: what to check.

Batteries and CO2 cartridges

Spare lithium batteries and power banks go in your carry-on only. A life jacket with a CO2 cartridge needs airline approval: register it with the customer centre when you book. The limit is 2 small cartridges fitted in the jacket and 2 spares.

Practical tips

Before paying for the ticket, check:

1. Fare: Economy Light has no checked bag, Economy has 1 x 23kg.
2. Bag size: length + width + height within 300cm.
3. Who flies: the flight number and operator of every leg.
4. Notice: request the sports equipment when you book and pay online; the airport costs more.

How to pack a bag that survives the baggage handlers is in kite board bags and flying with your gear.

Where ITA can take you kiting

ITA's Italian network covers Sicily, Sardinia and the smaller islands: Palermo, Catania, Trapani (July to September), Olbia (25 July to 3 September 2026), Alghero, Pantelleria (May to October 2026) and Lampedusa (July to August 2026). Not far from Trapani airport is the lagoon I cover in kitesurfing Lo Stagnone. More European spots are in the best kite spots in Europe.

Long haul, ITA flies to Mauritius (winter season from November 2026), where small sports equipment costs €200 online and €210 at the airport. In Egypt, ITA flies to Cairo. On the kite safari in Egypt I go on, there are pumps and a compressor on board and a twintip costs €60 for 6 days (2026 prices), so you can leave the board at home.